Wornall/Majors House Museum

Wornall/Majors House Museum The John Wornall & Alexander Majors House Museums are among Kansas City's most historic structures! Majors would go on to co-found the Pony Express.

The Wornall/Majors House Museums manages two of Kansas City's most historic landmarks: the John Wornall House and the Alexander Majors House. These homes serve as the place for dynamic history educational programming related to the Civil War, early Kansas City history, transportation and communication on the frontier, and the lives of women and minorities in these homes. The Wornall House, built i

n 1858, was the farmstead home of a prosperous farmer. It later served as a field hospital during the Battle of Westport, often called the "Gettysburg of the West." The Majors House, built in 1856, was the headquarters for Alexander Majors' freighting firm, Russell, Majors & Waddell.

If you watched Project Hail Mary, you may remember the centrifuge line that says it was used during the Civil War to mak...
05/27/2026

If you watched Project Hail Mary, you may remember the centrifuge line that says it was used during the Civil War to make butter. That’s only a little off: the centrifuge was invented in the 1860s to separate cream from milk, and it later became essential in laboratories.

Read about it on the WMHM blog: https://wornallmajors.org/centrifuge-from-diary-to-lab-essential

Pictured: 1930s hancranked centrifuge in the collection of the Science History Institute.

Come for the history… leave with a gift you definitely didn’t plan on buying. The Wornall House gift shop has new items ...
05/26/2026

Come for the history… leave with a gift you definitely didn’t plan on buying. The Wornall House gift shop has new items in stock, and they’re the perfect mix of local charm, history, and “I absolutely need this.”

From books and keepsakes to locally inspired gifts and fun finds, for the American 250 (and impulse shopper). Best of all, every purchase helps support the museum and preserve Kansas City history.

Missouri’s position as a border state during the Civil War placed it at the center of some of the nation’s most difficul...
05/24/2026

Missouri’s position as a border state during the Civil War placed it at the center of some of the nation’s most difficult debates over slavery, freedom, and citizenship. Arnold Krekel became one of the state’s most important abolitionist leaders during this turbulent era. In January 1865, he presided over the Missouri Constitutional Convention that abolished slavery in the state before Congress formally proposed the 13th Amendment. Krekel later continued to advocate for African American suffrage and education during Reconstruction, helping shape Missouri’s future amid an era of enormous national change.

Our newest signs explore these powerful stories in greater depth, and newly translated materials are now available through the summer. Learn more about the materials here: https://wornallmajors.org/translated-materials-now-available-at-the-museums/

Everyone at WMHM loves a deep dive into history, interns included. This spring, one of ours looked into illness and medi...
05/23/2026

Everyone at WMHM loves a deep dive into history, interns included. This spring, one of ours looked into illness and medicine in Victorian Missouri — including miasma theory, the belief that disease traveled through "bad air."

Check out her summary at the link.
wornallmajors.org/from-the-intern-desk-the-victorians-and-illness//

Pictured: Cholera crushes both the conquerors and the conquered alike.” — Robert Seymour, 1831, U.S. National Library of Medicine

Mark your calendars: on June 13, we're hosting Drop-In History: Enslavement in Missouri at the Alexander Majors House Mu...
05/22/2026

Mark your calendars: on June 13, we're hosting Drop-In History: Enslavement in Missouri at the Alexander Majors House Museum.

From 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., visitors of all ages can explore a series of mini-exhibits covering topics that are too often left out of Missouri's history — the laws that enforced enslavement, small-scale slaveholding, Black Civil War service, the Missouri Slave Narratives, and the Black experience on the frontier.

The day closes with a 3 p.m. keynote talk by Curator Sarah Bader-King on enslavement at the Majors property and the research behind our new Jackson County slavery records database. Drop in anytime.

This event is part of WMHM's America 250 programming funded by the Missouri Humanities Council.

Sign up for event reminders and instructions: https://wornallmajors.org/events/drop-in-history-enslavement-in-missouri/

Huge thanks to the 69 folks who joined us for Drink Your History: Whiskey last Friday—we had an absolute blast.The serie...
05/21/2026

Huge thanks to the 69 folks who joined us for Drink Your History: Whiskey last Friday—we had an absolute blast.

The series is back on August 28 with Drink Your History: Snake Oils to Sodas. Director of Programming Sarah Goebel will dive into the surprisingly sketchy origins of some of your favorite sodas. We’ll be serving up cocktails and mocktails inspired by these historic concoctions.

Curious (or slightly concerned) about what people used to drink? Learn more about the series at: https://wornallmajors.org/drink-your-history/

On this date in 1874, a letter to the editor of the St. Louis Dispatch made the case for a perhaps surprising gubernator...
05/19/2026

On this date in 1874, a letter to the editor of the St. Louis Dispatch made the case for a perhaps surprising gubernatorial candidate: our own John B. Wornall.

Writing from Liberty, Clay County, a correspondent signing only as "Agricola" praised Senator Wornall of Jackson County as a man who "combines in an eminent degree all the qualifications and characteristics that constitute a man altogether suited for the exalted and responsible position" of Governor. High praise!

Agricola went on to describe Wornall as having built an "ample estate" through "well directed energies, persistent industry, judicious economy and sterling integrity" — and declared his record, "both as a man and as a Democrat, is without a spot or stain."

As far as we can tell, the candidacy never gained serious traction.

As fans travel to Kansas City for the World Cup, the WMHM invites to explore the historic houses in new ways. Four new m...
05/18/2026

As fans travel to Kansas City for the World Cup, the WMHM invites to explore the historic houses in new ways. Four new mini-exhibits explore how immigrant groups shaped Missouri and the nation during the 19th century.

Visitors can engage with content in five languages and view related artifacts, including German and French objects at the Wornall House and Mexican artifacts at the Majors House.

Open May 18 through August 30 during regular hours.

Thank you to the Kansas City Monuments Coalition/Mellon Foundation and Freedom's Frontier National Heritage Area for funding these mini-exhibits.

A Mystery from the Archives — May 17On this date in Kansas City history, the city physician filed a report about a "nuis...
05/17/2026

A Mystery from the Archives — May 17

On this date in Kansas City history, the city physician filed a report about a "nuisance" lurking in the alley between Third and Fourth Streets. The city engineer weighed in, pointing the finger squarely at the property owner — one John Wornall.

But here's the thing: no one recorded exactly *what* the nuisance was.

A foul smell? A pile of refuse? Something worse? The historical record isn't telling.

What do YOU think John Wornall was responsible for? Drop your best guess in the comments!

Address

6115 Wornall Road
Kansas City, MO
64113

Opening Hours

Wednesday 10am - 4pm
Thursday 10am - 4pm
Friday 10am - 4pm
Saturday 10am - 4pm
Sunday 1pm - 4pm

Telephone

+18164441858

Website

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